1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns an apparatus for separating a mixture of materials of different flowability, in particular for preparing foodstuffs, comprising an endless presser belt and a rotationally driven hollow drum having a perforated circumferential surface, said endless presser belt being pressed against said hollow drum, to which end said presser belt is disposed to wrap around a portion of said circumference of said hollow drum and to form a compression zone and a draw-in wedge for the material to be separated, the pressing of said presser belt on said hollow drum being achieved by pressing means, which are adjustable with respect to the distance from the hollow drum for example in the form of a rotationally driven presser roller.
2. PRIOR ART
During operation of known apparatus of this type, very large forces occur in the compression gap between the hollow drum and the presser roller which result in the plastic deformation of the structure. This leads in particular to the shape of the compression gap becoming load-dependent and its sides unparallel, which results in the presser belt becoming unevenly worn due to differing stresses along its width dimension, and increased losses occurring due to leakage at the outer sides of the presser roller. Furthermore, such deformation has the effect that the predetermined pressure applied by the presser roller determined by the initial adjustment and setting of the roller is not uniformly distributed, i.e. the precise control of pressure is not possible. Such control is, however, a prerequisite for achieving a product of a specified quality.
3. OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The main object of the invention is thus to provide a separating machine in which the uniform pressure distribution in the compression gap is ensured.
A further object of the invention is to provide a machine in which the unparallel rotation of the presser roller is minimised.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a separating machine in which lateral leaks are kept to a minimum.